Digestive Enzymatic Activity Profiles and Larval Growth Performance of Barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790), From Indonesia and Australian Broodstocks

Barramundi is one of the most important marine commodities, with cultivation challenges closely related to survival and growth factors. There is still a lack of information on digestive enzymatic activity profiles and larval growth, and the use of Australian brooders rather than local Indonesian brooders is still frequent. The objective of this study is to investigate the profile of digestive enzymatic activity profiles and their correlation to the growth performance of Barramundi larvae, Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790), originating from Indonesia and Australia. The activity profile of digestive enzymes was evaluated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR). Fish larvae were reared till day 20 to measure growth in weight, length, and survival During the observation period up until the day 20, the length and weight growth of Australian fish larvae were greater than that of the local Indonesian. Analysis of the activity profile of digestive enzymes also revealed that Australian fish larvae had greater activity than Indonesian fish larvae, which was positively correlated with the length and weight of fish larvae, despite the fact that growth rates and survival rates of local fish larvae from Indonesia and Australia were comparable by the end of the d-20 phase.